Storyteller
by stealthclaw
Summary: One-Shot. Time stops for no one, and as always, history fades to tales, and tales into obscurity. Yet, even when the hero is gone, an old friend remains to tell her story. [Twelve Shots of Summer: Quarter Queller]


**Here's my second one-shot for TSoS! I hope you guys enjoy!**

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 **Storyteller**  
 **Twelve Shots of Summer: Quarter Queller**

Oh, hello there child. It isn't often that people come to visit anymore. Now, now! Don't make that face. After all, it is nobody's fault. Everyone forgets, you know. Elder I may be, but it's been a long time since I was involved in anything worth remembering. I, and everything else I built, is but a fleeting presence on the wind.

"What does fleeting mean," you ask? Why, it means short-lived. What do they teach youngsters nowadays, I wonder? Education nowadays isn't what it used to be, I fear.

Goodness me, there's no need to be sad about it, my child. I only meant it as a jest! What did you say? You're actually sad because you don't want people to forget? You're too kind, you know. You warm an old man's heart!

I'll tell you what – how about I tell you a story? Nay, it isn't my story. Not really. It's the tale of a girl, whom I traveled with when I was but a wee laddie…ah, those were the days! She was very brave, very strong, and she always had kind words, and of course a treat for me! She reminds me of you, you know. Very talkative.

Her name was Kris, and an absolute gem she was! She was leaving her town on a journey. In fact, it was this very city, believe it or not. It used to be so small and rural. Trees everywhere, and wild grass as far as the eye could see. Now it's all tall buildings and hard concrete…urbanization has a funny way of changing things, I suppose. How the hot cement stings my old feet! But I suppose the spirit of the town has remained. It has been, and always will be, a town where the wind blows and tells of impending change. I suppose it's only natural that the appearance has changed too.

"What happened next?" Goodness, you're so impatient, child. I was just getting to that. Now, what was I saying…? Ah, yes. She was setting out on a journey. She wanted to explore the country, I suppose. I didn't fully understand all of her words back then. I was only tiny, when she chose me to accompany her, and her complex language was strange to me. However, as young as I was, I was a bona fide pillar of strength, as I'm sure you must realize, and I was chosen to protect her during her travels. The leaf I wielded may have seemed delicate, but it cut razor sharp, sleeker and fiercer than the deadliest sword.

Don't look so doubtful, child! I assure you that it is no exaggeration. Just because you make a weapon of fire, does not mean you automatically have the upper hand, ahaha!

So we traveled, fighting through wilderness and challenging foes in competitions of might! And it felt like everywhere we found ourselves, we made new friends, and new companions joined us in our quest. Ol' Nox, Triton, Athena, Lector, Donna…the whole lot of them.

Nox was a wise old fellow, he was always sleeping but he was clever beyond words and taught me a thing or two about hunting in the dark. And his speed in a fight! Why, he put the gods themselves to shame. He was only matched by Lector, whose lightning skills filled all who saw him with shock and awe – literally. A pity that he was only interested in fighting for the sake of it. He never had the dedication that the rest of us had to the journey. As soon as we cleared the final challenge, he disappeared. I doubt we would have succeeded though, if it wasn't for him. That makes him alright in my book, even if he never came back.

Let's see, who else… And dear Triton, he was quite funny. Could never seem to figure out whether he loved to swim or fly more. The lucky boy, he could do both, can you believe it? I suppose if I had either skill, I wouldn't be able to choose either.

Athena, however, was focused on one thing only, and that was fire. Her abilities were a little like yours, I wager. She burned through everything with a temper that was terrifying. She only liked Kris, and would only listen to her alone. I guess she was loyal to a fault, unlike Lector. It got her in the end, though. She fell to her death on that old mountain dividing our country from the next, protecting dear Kris from a pack of wild things. Poor Athena, she was shrieking and fighting till the very end. She'd hate to be called that, you know, but I still feel bad. If only I had been quicker…Ah! Now, now child, there's no need to fret over my feelings. An old man like myself cannot change the past, and I've accepted that.

Now, where was I? Ah, right. And finally we had Donna. She was a rough and tumble little thing, even smaller than me when she first joined. Always followed Kris around like she was her mother. Her brute strength was unparalleled, however. She could level a house without breaking a sweat. I learnt that the hard way, mind, when we fought over the last summer berries! Ahaha, what a good time it was. Don't tell anyone, but she came very close to beating me that day. Good thing I had the upper hand!

What's that? I was the one who told you not to rely on type advantages? Goodness, child, you got me there! You're too quick-witted for this old man, I must say.

Aye, we were an unbeatable team, my child. We cleared every tournament of strength that came our way and obtained emblems of victory wherever we went.

However, it was Kris that bound us all together. She was the most amazing of us all, I have to confess. We may have had strength, and speed, and the power of the elemental forces, but this girl had something far more than any of us could say. She had a heart of gold, and it was so big and strong that she could push through practically any obstacle. Forcefully stubborn, you know. She was only a human, and only a young one at that, but her sense of right and wrong was crystal clear, and even the gods were impressed by her honest soul. Yes, child, the gods themselves!

I'm sure you've heard stories of the dark organization that plagued the country, many years ago? Ah, of course you have! They still whisper of the ways that they terrified wild folk like ourselves, though I'm sure they're now talked of as more bogeymen in bedtime stories to scare young'uns like you, than anything. They were a terrible bunch, they were, and they took to capturing, selling, and experimenting on our kind. Wanted to control us, see? They weren't decent folk like the humans we know. They were cruel, the worst sort.

Everyone who knew of them was terrified, mind you, but not Kris. She – with the help of us, of course – broke into their hideouts, destroying their operations and fighting to keep our kind safe, wherever she went. Other humans were involved too in the efforts of course, but Kris lead the way, and she was lauded as a hero among heroes, hailed by all across the land by human and Pokemon alike.

Hmm? What happened to her? Why, time stops for no one, and even dear Kris wasn't immune. She passed away, and I'm the only one who is left of her original travelling party. As things go, even her deeds are forgotten by most.

I don't think she would have minded much, truthfully. She was never concerned about being a hero or legend. All she wanted was to keep this region safe, and because of her, it is.

Why, children like you are able to run around free without a care in the world, safe and happy and well-fed, and isn't that what matters? That's the legacy she wanted to pass down, and I'd say she succeeded.

Now run along, and go play with you friends, little Cyndaquil. _Yawn…_ This old Meganium needs his afternoon nap, and the sun spots are just right today.

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 **This was quite a bit of fun to write! This time, I used only one of the suggested prompts. It was "The Legacy Lives On." It was an interesting exercise this time.**

 **Well, thanks for reading!**


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